I am very happy with my new endocrinologist, after having a total looser Doctor.. I have 4 large thyroid nodules. I could have surgery, but it is not advised as they are not huge enough, and there are complications for me. They cause difficulty in swallowing, and hurt a bit. I have had biopsy, and the DNA test for thyroid cancer,and blood work up, all is normal!! Off and on, I have heavy hair loss, very dry skin, the ends of eyebrow loss, fatigue. But I am 65, LOL! I have also had lots of radiation for breast cancer ( 10 years ago), and they think it might have caused nodules. My Doctor said I could try Synthroid. He said often people have normal blood work, but they are low thyroid. He said the studies of using Synthroid for nodules (shrinking them) is not conclusive, but I can try the Synthroid 75mg and see if it does shrink them, and provide symptom relief.. He gave me samples today.

My question is this, I have read all contraindications, and side effects, and noticed hair loss as a side effect. I can't loose more hair!! Has anyone experienced this? Also, has anyone used Synthroid for larger nodules and thyroid symptoms like mine? Did you get nervous, or have rapid heartbeat?

Thank you so much.

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

shoekitty, I have taken synthroid for more than 30 years and there never have been any hair loss.

Why not try it? What I don't understand is why your doctor gave you samples. It takes about 2 weeks for your body to recognize the synthroid. So you have to take it longer than that to notice any shrinkage of the nodules if it happens at all. Also, he should take blood tests every few months in the beginning.

My dd has been on Synthroid for many years. Rather than hair loss, her hair started growing in much better once her thyroid symptoms improved!

I recommend you follow the directions to the letter to start off with. Meaning take it one hour before or 2 hours after meals at the same time every day. Also, don't accept generics at this point in time.

"Oh wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel's as others see us!
--Robert Burns

First, I'm really sorry you have to go through this. In my long and annoying thyroid history, I have had nodules come and go. Sometimes I'd be on a synthetic, sometimes Armour, but the nodules always seem to be smaller when I take some sort of hormone. I don't have hair loss while I'm on hormone. I'm usually MUCH worse in cold weather than in warm. If I were you, I'd do a trial run and see how you feel, but if you're really nervous about doing so, it won't give the meds a fair chance. I've never had rapid heartbeat or nervousness on any thyroid medication, but I had very rapid heartbeat when I went hyperthyroid. Please post what you decide and how you're feeling.

I was taking Levoxyl for the past 8 years or so. Last month, our insurance said they would no longer pay for Brand name, so I had to switch to Levothyroxine. This is my 2nd week on it and so far, no adverse effects. I don't expect any either.

I took the RAI pill to burn out my thyroid and I take 75 mcg. Mon & Fri and 50 mcg. the other five days. The Endo started me on it but my Cardiologist said he would adjust my dose and he did. My TSH is perfect and I have never noticed any side effects since I started this med. years ago.

More and more now, insurance companies are not paying for Brand names, according to the Pharmacist. I saw it also with one of my BP pills.

Side-effects from Synthroid, as well as other thyroid hormone products, are mostly dosage related. Start off with a low dose and see what happens. If you do experience any issues, they will reverse if you stop or reduce the hormone replacement.

My daughter takes Synthroid for hypothyroidism. Her values were normal, but she was symptomatic and I have Hashimoto's disease. Thyroid disease can be inherited. She feels well on her dose.

I am currently on Synthroid and haven't noticed any issues. In fact, my hair has gotten so thick that my stylist had to do some serious thinning today when I got my hair cut.

I used Armour, and a compounded desiccated thyroid hormone...when Armour was off the market...for quite a few years. However, I found the T3 to be just a little too much for me.

The Synthroid had taken me down a few notches, but I still think I will need to add back a small amount of T3 in the future.

Also, believe me when I tell you that your doc is correct. I am the poster child for being hypothyroid with normal blood levels for many years. I suffered for more than a decade before it showed up in my blood work. I just don't think the testing for thyroid disorders is all that sensitive. And, so many people feel symptomatic at different levels.

In fact, before all of these blood tests were available, doctors took note of their patients symptoms, looked for signs of hypothyroidism, and palpated the thyroid gland for changes. That was how they used to come up with a diagnosis.

You are lucky you have a doctor that acknowledges these possibilities. It took me a long time to fine a good endocrinologist.

shoekitty, I have taken synthroid for more than 30 years and there never have been any hair loss.

Why not try it? What I don't understand is why your doctor gave you samples. It takes about 2 weeks for your body to recognize the synthroid. So you have to take it longer than that to notice any shrinkage of the nodules if it happens at all. Also, he should take blood tests every few months in the beginning.

CLEM, when I mean samples, I mean he gave me 9 weeks of Synthroid! He said that he wanted me take the name brand. He also made an appt to see me the end of July. I am going to start this Friday, you have all encouraged me with your stories, thanks!

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

thanks so much. I had read online today so many stories of hair loss. I was thinking, maybe their hair loss was because their dosage wasn't correct, and they were still experiencing low or high thyroid symptoms?

Sophiamarie

Can you get name brand instead of generic for a small fee. I know about the name brand thing, the insurance company even makes us take other meds first. They only did this once, and my doctor wrote a letter, or talked to someone at insurance company saying I could NOT take generic or replacement due to alergy. They then charged me a high co pay.

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

Thanks for the knowledge of your experience. I love this new Doctor. OMG, my last endocrinologist was so bad, he kept me going with inconclusive biopsies, because he wouldn't do it under ultrasound for 14 months! Finally, my Internist suggested I get a second opinion and gave me a list of 4 Dr's.

Endocrinologists are super hard to find! I live in a smaller town and have to make a 45 minute ride to see one in another city! That is 2 hours RT in traffic. I had brittle nail stumps, dry frizzy hair, dry skin, huge nodules, I was fatigued, and I actually had loss of appetite, but little weight loss.

If I get the strength again, I will tell you what this quack Dr I had did. Thank God for this new one. I just love him. He is older, has a huge practice, and he always runs on time. With a smile, and laugh too!

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

I started with "the best endocrinologist in town" and came to learn that if I went into the pexamining room with an ice cube dripping off my nose, he wouldn't give me hormone unless my TSH was above 5. He was also hardcore synthetic only. Finally my wonderful GP gave me a trial of Armour,, and it was much better for me. By the time Armour left the pharmacies, the lobe of my thyroid that had survived the RAI began to perk again and I went back up to normal. In the last 3 years, I've become symptomatic and my TSH has lowly risen. Now I have a woman endo whom I trust. She is " don't worry as much about the number as about how you feel", and when I began hormone again, I went right back to Armour, with good results. Remember too, many symptoms of hyper- are also symptoms of hypo-!

I take 300mcg a day of Synthroid and I have very small hair loss. Dry skin yes, and my eyebrows and eyelashes are just plain weird anymore. LOL

Do you get wild curly or frizzy eyebrows and hair? I haven't started taking Synthroid, as I will start Friday. But for the last year I swear someone else's hair is growing on my head, and my eyebrows are half normal, then half black, coarse, wire like ends to my eyebrows. I loose the eyebrows, then what ever grows back is weird. LOL

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

I was taking Levoxyl and it has been recalled. Now, I take levothyroxine sodium, which IS Levoxyl and Synthroid. As far as the co-pay, ours is only $5.00. I get 9 pills of the 75 mcg and 21 pills of the 50 mcg., so it costs $10.00.

This is my second week and my doctor says it's the same thing, just a different name. I have no thyroid - so maybe that makes a difference too??? I don't know but I don't feel any different at all.

I got this info from the internet:

<h2>Levoxyl recalled, may be unavailable until 2014</h2> <h3 class="deck"> </h3>

April 1, 2013

The American Thyroid Association has acknowledged a recall of levothyroxine sodium, according to a statement on their website. The drug may not be available until 2014.

Getting name brand Synthroid is very affordable. I think for one month depening on dosage it's somewhere between $25-$30. In my experience it does make a difference and I only take the brand name.

My Doctor was pretty adamant about using name brand Synthroid. Can you tell me what is the difference. He also wants his blood tests for thyroid from a lab he trusts, he also does them himself sometimes. He said something about "all labs are not reliable in the results". I found this interesting. First I thought it was just a money thing, but the more I read about it, thyroid lab results vary from lab to lab. Weird!

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

I was taking Levoxyl and it has been recalled. Now, I take levothyroxine sodium, which IS Levoxyl and Synthroid. As far as the co-pay, ours is only $5.00. I get 9 pills of the 75 mcg and 21 pills of the 50 mcg., so it costs $10.00.

This is my second week and my doctor says it's the same thing, just a different name. I have no thyroid - so maybe that makes a difference too??? I don't know but I don't feel any different at all.

I got this info from the internet:

<h2>Levoxyl recalled, may be unavailable until 2014</h2> <h3 class="deck"></h3>

April 1, 2013

The American Thyroid Association has acknowledged a recall of levothyroxine sodium, according to a statement on their website. The drug may not be available until 2014.

Sophie

May I ask why you get 2 different strengths? I am going to take 75mg. I hope this works for me.

life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!"
Auntie Mame

Getting name brand Synthroid is very affordable. I think for one month depening on dosage it's somewhere between $25-$30. In my experience it does make a difference and I only take the brand name.

My Doctor was pretty adamant about using name brand Synthroid. Can you tell me what is the difference. He also wants his blood tests for thyroid from a lab he trusts, he also does them himself sometimes. He said something about "all labs are not reliable in the results". I found this interesting. First I thought it was just a money thing, but the more I read about it, thyroid lab results vary from lab to lab. Weird!

I'm not sure what the difference is between the brand name and the generic. It's probably the filler they use.

If your doc specifies that substitution with generic is not OK, the pharmacy should give you the brand name. Otherwise, like I said, it's pretty cheap to just buy the name brand (synthroid) full price w/out insurance. Just ask the pharmacy what it costs for a one month supply of synthroid if you pay the full amount. Be prepared to shop around -- meaning check a few pharmacies and compare the price. Costo tends to be the cheapest if you have one nearby.

Three women are killed every day in the US by a current or former intimate partner ---Bureau of Justice Statistics

Hey shoekitty, I have taken synthroid for years because I have hypothyroidism. and have not any hair loss from the synthroid. Only time I have any issue with some hair loss is when I need my dose adjusted to increase it because I am too hypothyroid.

As far as any nervousness or fast heart rate, that only happened if my dose was out of whack and too high and I was hyperthyroid from too much synthriod and the dose needed decreased but it sure made me skin very soft when I was hyper.

Usually hairloss can be symptom of hyothyroidism itself. If your thryroid is hypo then maybe just maybe the synthroid would help you.

Just be aware of the symptoms of hypo and hyper so you can report to the Dr and he can check you TSH and T4 levels so if your med needs adjusted he can do that.

May I ask why you get 2 different strengths? I am going to take 75mg. I hope this works for me.

I take two different strengths because they kept tweaking the dose until my labs came out normal. I remember taking 88 mcg daily, then he said "try 75 twice a week and 50 for the other five days" - and my labs are right where they are supposed to be.

I take Synthroidand have since the age of 26 and am now 77. I had hair loss in my 40's and 50's from stress. Also had hair loss when dosage was out of wack. OK now, non since a water purificer put in my home and the chlorine taken out. No more chlorine in my water and no hair loss. My son lives near a water plant and seems to get the big rush of chlorine in his water and is bald and doesn't shave hair as is popular. He thinks it's the chlorine in water.

Uh oh....now I am worried. I was switched from Synthroid to Levothyroxine about a year ago and now I read that Levothyroxine is recalled. However, I was able to refill my prescription for it just 18 days ago (in mid-May), so I guess I should call my Doc and see what is up with that. Thanks for the info.

I have been on Synthroid/then Levothyroxine for over 12 years. I have always felt that it was responsible for my hair loss. I had thick hair until I started on this medicine, now it is rather thin. But who knows if my hair loss might be the result of other factors. Thanks again for all the info here.

Uh oh....now I am worried. I was switched from Synthroid to Levothyroxine about a year ago and now I read that Levothyroxine is recalled. However, I was able to refill my prescription for it just 18 days ago (in mid-May), so I guess I should call my Doc and see what is up with that. Thanks for the info.

I have been on Synthroid/then Levothyroxine for over 12 years. I have always felt that it was responsible for my hair loss. I had thick hair until I started on this medicine, now it is rather thin. But who knows if my hair loss might be the result of other factors. Thanks again for all the info here.

I was on Levoxyl and found out last month, that it was recalled. So now, I am on levothyroxine (which is the generic for Levoxyl & Synthroid).... Levoxyl was recalled - NOT levothyroxine.

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